Chickens Attacked Last Night - Raccoon?

[EReesh]

Hello everyone,
Our sweet chickens (4 of them) were seemingly attacked by something last night. We assume it was a raccoon, but could have possibly been a neighborhood cat. This happened around 1am - we were asleep, but woke up to a text from our neighbor saying he heard chaos outside. This morning, I went to check on them and there were feathers everywhere: in the run, in the coop. The top of their feeder was also taken off (so a pest could access the bulk of the food). One chicken in particular seems to have gotten the worst of it. She has lots of missing feathers, mostly around her bottom half, and her demeanor is very somber. I held her and checked out the exposed skin and didn't see any open wounds, though there could be some underneath her remaining feathers that I couldn't see.
Any tips on healing her up, should I take her to a vet? Keep her away from the other chickens? We are new chicken owners (got them in May of 2023) and haven't experienced anything like this with them.
Also, any tips on raccoon protection? How to verify what kind of pest was in there?
Any and all insight would be so much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[SmiYa0126]

If it was a raccoon your chickens would be injured or dead. She needs to be treated for shock, keep her in a dim warm place, and offer sweetened electrolyte water to drink. She should perk up in 24 hours or so.

 

[Mantisquailman]

could u send pics of the coop?

 

[nuthatched]

I'm sorry to hear that.
Cam you get pictures of the wounds? And of your coop? How is your coop secured?
It does sound like raccoon.
She's in shock, let her rest where it's warm, dark and quiet.

 

[EReesh]

could u send pics of the coop?

Here's everything I just took. This shows their coop, feeder, run, and a couple of the chickens. The yellow one was attacked the worst, a little blood around her beak that's hard to see, but her bottom half is torn up. The others have missing feathers around their bottom as well (more than usual).

 

[EReesh]

I'm sorry to hear that.
Cam you get pictures of the wounds? And of your coop? How is your coop secured?
It does sound like raccoon.
She's in shock, let her rest where it's warm, dark and quiet.

Admittedly, the coop is pretty open. We have the sides protected with chicken wire for ground rodents, but the door to their actual coop (on the bottom left of the coop) stays open so they can come and go. The run is completely open air right now, which we obviously will change asap.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

Can you post photos of her injuries/missing feathers and coop/run setup?

I'm sorry that she may be injured, it would be a good idea to check each hen very carefully for any abrasions, cuts, puncture wounds, etc.

An attack or disturbance can be distressing for the hen(s). Provide electrolytes or sugar water to those that are distressed to help them through shock.

For any wounds/abrasions you find. Clean the area with saline or Chlorhexidine, then apply triple antibiotic ointment to any open sores/wounds.
Places where feathers have been grasped and pulled out can often be tender and painful for a few days even if the skin is not broken.

It does sound like a Racoon to me, especially if a lid was removed off the feed. Racoons will return nightly, so it's important to close any openings and make your coop secure.
A secure coop and run will help keep the predators out. Raccoons are determined and will test your security, so setting up a few game cameras or security cameras will give you a lot of information about what type of critters are coming around, their behavior and entry points if they still get in when you think you have it secured.

I know of no way to deter a Racoon that has found chickens, eggs and/or feed. Once they become a nuisance or danger, trapping and humanely dispatching the critter is what I have found works best. Please do not trap and take the animal somewhere else and release it, you are just creating a trapwise nuisance for someone else to deal with.

I have a lot of Raccoons here. Some years I trap quite a few that are just being a nuisance, other years, they saunter by and cause no issues. Not every critter that is a predator here gets the business, just those that are intent on causing harm.

 

[nuthatched]

How did the coon get inside your coop?
Any gaps you can get your fist through.

 

[Mantisquailman]

I would recommend putting hardware cloth under the coop

 

[EReesh]

Welcome To BYC

Can you post photos of her injuries/missing feathers and coop/run setup?

I'm sorry that she may be injured, it would be a good idea to check each hen very carefully for any abrasions, cuts, puncture wounds, etc.

An attack or disturbance can be distressing for the hen(s). Provide electrolytes or sugar water to those that are distressed to help them through shock.

For any wounds/abrasions you find. Clean the area with saline or Chlorhexidine, then apply triple antibiotic ointment to any open sores/wounds.
Places where feathers have been grasped and pulled out can often be tender and painful for a few days even if the skin is not broken.

It does sound like a Racoon to me, especially if a lid was removed off the feed. Racoons will return nightly, so it's important to close any openings and make your coop secure.
A secure coop and run will help keep the predators out. Raccoons are determined and will test your security, so setting up a few game cameras or security cameras will give you a lot of information about what type of critters are coming around, their behavior and entry points if they still get in when you think you have it secured.

I know of no way to deter a Racoon that has found chickens, eggs and/or feed. Once they become a nuisance or danger, trapping and humanely dispatching the critter is what I have found works best. Please do not trap and take the animal somewhere else and release it, you are just creating a trapwise nuisance for someone else to deal with.

I have a lot of Raccoons here. Some years I trap quite a few that are just being a nuisance, other years, they saunter by and cause no issues. Not every critter that is a predator here gets the business, just those that are intent on causing harm.

Thank you for the helpful feedback @Wyorp Rock . Are there any traps you'd recommend for a raccoon that we could set at night, while the chickens are in the closed coop and not in harms way of the trap?